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A Step-by-Step Guide to Cable Taming with Wire Loom

BY: Christina Hansen

Some wire loom and a few cable ties – combined with a short amount of time and just a little elbow grease – are all that it takes to turn a rat's nest of cables into a sleek and organized bundle of beauty! Two members of the CableOrganizer.com Marketing department recently got a firsthand reminder of this, when they moved into a new office and needed to manage computer cables that were cluttering-up the spaces beneath their workstations. Armed with a few simple supplies and a wire loom tool, our brave cable tamers ventured into the jungle of tangled cords and emerged no worse for the wear a short time later, leaving neatly-organized cables in their wake.

If you find the idea of subduing unruly cables as incredibly appealing as the CableOrganizer.com crew does, you might want to consider undertaking a project like this yourself. Before you start, you'll need to assemble the following supplies:

Once you've rounded up everything you'll need to get those crazy cables ship-shape, it will be time to start your wire-management project. But don't worry...we realize that even though we may be old-hands at cable organization, this could very well be your first attempt at this sort of task. If you are indeed new at this and were hoping for a little step-by-step guidance, just read on...we've got you covered!

Power down your computer and other electronic devices and then unplug them...it's a lot easier to organize your cables if you can move them around freely, as well as clearly see which electronic components they belong to. By doing this, you'll also avoid the risk of electric shock or accidental power disconnection.

Once everything is unplugged, take an inventory of all the cables you'll be working with, and decide on the best way to group them for insertion into the wire loom. Since there's a good chance that your cables don't all go to the same location, be sure that you are grouping cables together based on which direction they need to be routed in...this means that you will most likely have at least two separate bundles.

For the sake of mobility, consider keeping the cords of devices like computer mice and desktop speakers separate from the cables that are going to be bundled in wire loom. It's usually a better idea to not enclose these types of cables in wire loom, since doing so can severely limit the movement of the items they belong to. If you still want to keep loose wires out of the way, try securing them with cable clips attached to the underside of your desk...this will keep cords out of the way, while still leaving some slack for movement.

When your cables have been separated into like groups and are ready to be inserted into wire loom, it's time to reach for the thing that is bound to become your favorite gadget: your wire loom tool. With the wire loom tool open, gather the cables to be wrapped into the tool's channel, and then fold it closed, making sure that every cord is contained in the newly-formed tube.

When your wire loom tool is closed, you'll notice that the non-hinged side forms a fin-like shape. Insert the pointed end of this fin into the wire loom's split side, then “zip” it up the length of the wire loom, pulling your cables through...to the point where they are adequately covered. Carefully trim the excess wire loom away, and repeat with any remaining cable bundles.

If you're wondering what the cable ties we suggested are for, be puzzled no more...they come into play right now. Due to differences in length, once your cables are enclosed in wire loom, you'll probably find (on the power-supply end of the bundles) that some cords have excess length which extends beyond the wire loom. This extra cable can be coiled and secured with cable ties, to keep it from piling up or getting tangled.

If your workstation has legs or supports that can be utilized, wire loom-enclosed bundles can be attached to them with cable ties, lifting the cords off the floor and keeping the run of the cables in harmony with the lines of your desk.